Pakistan military courts to get permanent status

The Pakistan Interior Ministry has decided to grant permanent status to military courts in the country which were initially setup for two years following the December 2014 Peshawar Army Public School attack that killed 132 children.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Interior Ministry has decided to grant permanent status to military courts in the country which were initially setup for two years following the December 2014 Peshawar Army Public School attack that killed 132 children.

The Interior Ministry has prepared the draft of a new law, integrating the Protection of Pakistan Act and Anti-Terrorism Act, and sought opinion of the Law Ministry on it, reports the Express Tribune.

The draft will be presented in Parliament after final approval from Law Minister Zahid Hamid.According to an Interior Ministry spokesperson, the military courts which were originally set up for two years after December 2014 attacks on schoolchildren in Peshawar will become permanent courts to deal with cases involving terrorism once the new law is passed.

According to media reports, a clause in the new draft will permit keeping suspects in custody for 90 days.

The term of military courts is set to expire on January 7 and their under-trial cases will shift to anti-terrorism courts. The federal and provincial governments have referred 300 cases to the military courts and 120 cases are being heard at present by these courts.